Next

3rd Infantry Division shoulder patch, name tag, and Combat Infantry Badge removed from my uniform after returning to civilian life.

 
After landing in Pusan, I was shipped  North where I joined the 15th Regiment of the 3rd Infantry Division while the regiment was in its reserve position.  Shortly after I arrived, the regiment rotated back onto the line. The regiment's position on line was a little to the East of the town of Ch'orwon in the Iron Triangle.  The pictures in this scrapbook were all taken after the regiment was in its position on the line.

The following text is some 3rd Infantry Division information I found on the Internet. Click here for a link to some addition 3rd Division history during the Korean War period.

On 25 June 1950 the 3^rd Infantry Division was split between Fort Benning, GA, and Fort Devens, MA. The division had its headquarters plus the 15^th Infantry Regiment at Fort Benning while 7^th Infantry Regiment was at Fort Devens. There was a third regiment, the 30^th Infantry Regiment, but this unit was a zero strength and existed only on paper because at that time, due to downsizing and funding, most Army divisions had only two active regiments with each regiment having only two active battalions instead the three the Table of Organization and Equipment (TO&E) specified. This also extended down to the battalions who would often have only two infantry companies instead of the specified three plus a heavy weapons company.

The 3^rd Infantry Divisions situation became even worse when within days of the Korean War’s beginning, a battalion from both the 7^th Infantry Regiment and the 15^th Infantry Regiment were taken from the division and sent to Korea to become part of the 1^st Cavalry Division as was the division’s 73^rd Tank Battalion and 41^st Field Artillery Battalion. Be this as it was, the 3^rd Infantry Division received deployment orders for the Far East in early July. At this time, the 65^th Infantry Regiment from Puerto Rico was added to the division and sent directly to Korea while the rest of the under-strength division left for Japan on 20 August 1950 where it was built up to full strength. It deployed to Korea on 10 November 1950 to link up the 65^th Infantry Regiment who was already there. Once on the ground in Korea it became part of U.S. X-Corps. The division returned to the United States in October 1954.

The 3^rd Infantry Division consisted of:

• Division Headquarters and Headquarters Company
• 7^th Infantry Regiment
• 15^th Infantry Regiment* 
• 65^th Infantry Regiment
• Division Artillery
  9^th Field Artillery Battalion (155mm)
  10^th Field Artillery Battalion (105mm)
  39^th Field Artillery Battalion (105mm)
  58^th Armored Field Artillery Battalion (105mm)
  3^rd Antiaircraft Artillery Battalion
• Division Troops
  64^th Tank Battalion (Medium)
  10^th Engineer Battalion (Combat)
  3^rd Reconnaissance Company
• Division Special Troops
  3^rd Medical Battalion
  3^rd Signal Company
  703 Ordnance Maintenance Battalion
  3^rd Quartermaster Company
  3^rd Military Police Company
  3^rd Replacement Company
• Attached units
  Eighth Army Raider Company, 8245^th Army Unit (12 Nov 1950 - 26 Dec 1950)
  3^rd Ranger Infantry Company (Airborne) (31 Apr 1951 - 1 Aug 1951)
  Belgian Infantry Battalion
  Royal Hellenic Battalion**
  5th Regimental Combat Team***

* Defended OP Harry on the nights of June 10/11, 11/12, 13/14, 14/15, and 5/16
**Defended OP Harry the nights of June 16/17 and during the final CCF assault  on 7/18.
***Defended OP Harry the nights of June 11/12 and 12/13.

Back to introduction

Go to photos

All photos ©Copyright Freeman Bradford.  All rights reserved